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What's in the FridgeDec 03 '00 Write an essay on this topic.Now, I'm being put on the spot. The problem with this question is that I have a continual rotation of beers in effect. This is effected by season, expense, availability and other intangibles. I generally like to keep anywhere from 10 to 30 different kinds of beer at any given time. It sometimes goes even higher than that. I'm not altogether sure if there's any method to the madness but let me try to explain. One of my first goals for stock is diversity. I try to have representatives from various beer styles. I generally want to have stouts, pilsners, IPAs, whites, et al. I even like to keep a few ciders just for good measure. Each style has beers that are interchangeable. Some heavy rotation beers owe more to availability than desirability. Sam Adams Boston Lager is a fine beer that is readily available. Christoffel Blonde is a great beer from the Netherlands that is hard to come by. Is Sam Adams better? Not really but it is more available. Let me continue by running off a few of the heavy rotation beers: Victory Prima Pils, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, Anchor Steam, Celis White and Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout are five heavy hitters. They make regular appearances in the beer fridge. But anyone of them can be missing at any time. I like to keep a couple barley wines in stock. It might be Anchor Old Foghorn, Victory Old Horizontal, Sierra Nevada Big Foot or Rogue Old Crustacean. There's a bottle of Sam Adams Triple Bock and two bottles of Dogfish Head World Wide Stout in stock at the moment. I have several winter beers right now. There are winter beers from Weyerbacher, Otter Creek, Anderson Valley, Sierra Nevada and Harpoon currently in stock. They have gradually replaced the Octoberfest beers. This is where the seasonal aspect comes into play. Come Spring I'll be throwing Stoudt Honey Maibock in to replace the Snow Goose. This also makes it a difficult question. Right now the winter beers are dominant. I also like strong beers in winter. Old Rasputin Imperial Stout and Victory Storm King sneak into stock. Several IPAs and superhop beers enter the fray. We have Yard's IPA, Lost Coast Indica IPA and Tupper's Hop Pocket. Sierra Nevada Stout and Anchor Porter sneak in. And how about Left Hand Brewing's Blackjack Porter--a rare but tasty treat. There are a couple beers from Middle Ages Brewing in Syracuse. I have a bottle of Rodenbach waiting for holiday consumption. And Odds are that when I go on my next beer run I will look for beers that aren't currently stocked. If I see something I have never tried, I will likely give it a try. If I'm lucky I'll be at a beer store with several friends. Then we'll all buy different beers and do a little trading. If three people buy three six packs, I get nine beers. I realize that I haven't properly answered the question but that's because I really can't. It is an ongoing process. Sometimes I have to settle due to availability or finances. Sometimes I change my mind to grab a rare beer. Other times I happen upon certain beers in the course of my travels. But that diversity is part of the fun. There are always different beers sneaking into the rotation. It helps to keep things fresh. It has been a fine journey already and the thrill is still there. And that, ultimately, is the reason I started in the first place. This is part of a What's in the Fridge write-off including: Teykaerts, Fuche_bu, Bruguru, Sleestakk, JMARJANCIK, PeterLRuden, 4-1-1, Palwalrus, Beerlover and andaryl  |
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